This month we talk with Walter Pranke, vice president, human resources at Lee Valley Tools, a chain of tool and gift stores based in Ottawa.

Getting the right people for your company means more than matching up work experience and job skills. The values of a potential new hire must align with your company’s.

“It’s very important, first and foremost, for an organization to really define and articulate the values and goals it holds corporately,” says Walter. “You have to ask the question, ‘why do we exist.’ Then, line up what type of person and kind of personality is best suited to fit that.”

In the hiring process, that can mean landing on specific interview topics. For example, says Walter, if your company’s values include a passion for your customers, some of the questions can address the candidate’s own relationship with customers at their current position. If they indicate a similar enthusiasm here, that will be a good sign. If they tend to bring up the challenges of working with customers and dealing with their concerns or complaints, you might consider that a warning sign that this individual’s values won’t align with your company’s—even if they possess the right skills and experience.

Another example, says Walter, may relate to your company’s team environment. If your company embraces a culture that prizes teamwork, there are things to watch for during hiring.

“If the person keeps using ‘I’ to describe their past work experience and achievements, they may lack the capacity to work with others.” You have to ask, ‘Are they more focused on promoting themselves?’

There are ways to proactively stream the interview process to get at the underlying values of a candidate to determine whether they align with yours. “But it all comes down to identifying just what your company’s own culture and values are.”

Vaccination against COVID-19 is not mandatory in Canada, therefore, employers cannot force their workers to get the vaccine. It’s important to consider that some workers may not be able to get the vaccine due to medical reasons, religious beliefs, or a disability. Discriminating against an unvaccinated worker for any of these reasons could result in a human rights claim for the business.

However, employers can strongly encourage workers to get vaccinated, and can provide information and resources to educate them on the benefits of vaccination. Workers that cannot get vaccinated for one of the reasons above must be accommodated. For example, they can be given the option to work from home or given a separate workstation that allows for distancing. Meanwhile, to protect other workers and visitors, the employer can require unvaccinated workers to continue adhering to COVID-19 health and safety measures such as masking and distancing.

If the work environment poses a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, such as in the health care sector, the employer may be able to justify making vaccination a necessary requirement of the workplace. This requirement would need to be clearly explained in a company-wide policy that applies to everyone.

Peninsula is an HR and Health & Safety consulting firm serving over 80,000 small businesses worldwide, including dealers in home improvement. Clients are supported with 24/7 employment advice, updates to legislation changes, HR software, and legal insurance.